Ray's Ch. 9, 10, and 13

Let me begin by saying how crazy this past week and weekend has been. I have had so much going on. My field placement is awesome in second grade. It ties really well with this writing class because we have been learning about the writing process. The students have been taking pieces from prewriting through publishing. These chapters were helpful to me because they gave practical advice about what to do when teaching writers workshop. I haven't totally decided if my mentor teacher does writers workshop or not because there is not a lot of student choice involved.

It was great to read about all the preparations to begin to teach. I liked Katie's point that in a writers workshop you actually teach the entire time. A short time is whole class instruction but the remaining time you are giving one on one instruction. Many students learn best when they have the teacher focusing on them and I have seen this happen in my classroom. Students stay on task and ask more detailed questions if the teacher is sitting beside him or her. One of my favorite points Katie makes is when she asks "If I locked my students in my classroom and stood outside the door, what could they learn about writing without me being in there?" This is a great self check as a teacher to evaluate how effective your environment is. Something else new I learned was about the homework strategy with writing. Having students make a "toolbox" with a writer's notebook can be very helpful in writing. Students essentially create their own curriculum with the information they gather from everyday life and record in their notebook. Incorporating research skills such as interviews and surveys into students' everyday lives will help their creativity in writing flow.

Building students' understanding of writers will help them know more about what they are doing. I liked Katie's connections to the notebook like a painter's palette and learning to read like a seamstress visiting a dress shop. Kids know more about the real world than teachers often think, so the more connections made to real life the better.

I agree with Katie that I want my students to be interested in their work. I like that focus lessons shouldn't have to grab students attention because their attention should already be grabbed by what they are working on in writers workshop. The teacher centered approach to the focus lesson sounds like it is a good strategy to keep it brief and let students know the expectation. I also like  ending the lesson with a "reader's digest" version. This helps students know exactly what they just heard in a nutshell.

Katie Wood Ray's book

I have enjoyed reading Ray's book so far. This book offers good practical advice and ideas about writing workshops. Towards the beginning of her book she says "Each student is able to bring his or her particular interests to the workshop and explore these interests through writing." This concept is so important in school, particularly in writing. Who would want to do something they do not like? What if you had a eat asparagus every day and you hate asparagus? Why would students want to come to school and write everyday about a topic they don't like or are not good at? Giving students choice is the first step to developing writers.
Another key point that Ray makes and I agree with is that "writing is something that you do, not something that you know." She goes on to talk about being a person that writes and being a teacher that writes, not just a writing teacher. What is the definition of "being a writer"? This is an idea she discusses in the book. To "be a writer" do you have to be a professional? Some people consider themselves readers but people do not often call themselves writers. Just because a woman cooks dinner every night for her family she may not refer to herself as a cook. After helping students find their identity in writing they can begin to find what works best for them. Do they write well in short or long periods of time? The more students write, the more they can figure out their strengths and weaknesses.
The tone of teaching is something else Ray discusses in her book and that I have already observed in the field. Ray defines this as "the sum total of the presentation of teaching." This includes all the things teachers do in the classroom to create the atmosphere. My mentor teacher is fun and lets the students have fun. She has energy and allows the students to use their energy in the classroom. She is enthusiastic and the students are equally as enthusiastic. The tone of teaching plays huge roles in the classroom and the quality of the students work. If students are given opportunities to write and they see the teacher writing and the teacher has good tone, then the students are more likely going to write better.

My first blog

I'm new to this blogging idea but think it will be fun. Today was my first day in my field placement this semester. I am in a second grade classroom with an awesome teacher. She let me jump right in and start helping. I got to work with a small group of ESOL students and had a blast. I also answered questions students had during independent work time. I plan to interview a student that I will work with throughout the semester tomorrow and I'm excited to go back for more fun!